


Who The Hell Is This Guy?

by Oscarsings



Category: Starlight Express - Phillips/Stilgoe/Webber
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22753315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oscarsings/pseuds/Oscarsings
Summary: After CB is run out of the freightyard because of his hand in what conspired at the race, the freights have suddenly found themselves without a caboose. But after the replacement comes, he honestly doesn’t seem much better than the original.Little do they know, CB never went far at all. And even though he may have a fresh coat of paint and a new persona, he still has all the grudges he retained as the happy go-lucky clown he used to be.
Relationships: this is not rusted breaks in this they Really Don’t Like Each Other
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	Who The Hell Is This Guy?

**Author's Note:**

> Once again thank you to greenghostjekyll.tumblr.com for giving me this idea!  
> And once again if there are any issues with formatting let me know.

No one was happy since this new caboose had arrived at the freight yard.

Frankly? Some of them honestly would have preferred if CB had stayed given how unpleasant this replacement was. 

Everything about him from the way he dressed to the way he spoke was just _repellant,_ leaving a bad taste in your mouth if you dared to even look his way. It was almost a cruel coincidence, at least CB had _pretended_ to like the other freights. This fedora wearing prick didn’t even try to mask his resentment for the others.

To him they were always in his way, there was always _something_ for him to complain about. They weren’t going fast enough, they didn’t give him enough things to do, the Rockies were to Loud, Dustin was too obnoxious- something, _something,_ **_something_ , ****_SOMETHING_**. It never ended!

Practically everyone in the yard hated him, even Poppa and Dustin had been heard making grunts and side comments as the newcomer passed by. Yes indeed nearly everyone had all but written him off as nothing but a new fangled, state of the art, first class douche bag.

Everyone, except Rusty. Of course.

Optimistic as ever, the little engine didn’t think that this new brake van was a lost cause. But honestly, to Rusty anyone would have been an upgrade from their previous Caboose. Truth be told the fact he was so hostile was almost pushing him to want to bring out the good in this guy. CB had always been happy and nice with the others, and look how that turned out. So maybe this crude new addition to the yard was just what they all needed.

And believing that was Rusty’s first mistake.

His second, had been catching up to him as he passed by his shed that evening.

* * *

“Hey Caboose!” Rusty called after the other from the front of his shed as he passed by.

Despite his calling, it seemed like he didn’t hear him though, because the brake van didn’t even stop to glance at him. Just passing by. So Rusty obviously skated after and called again, “Caboose! Hey what’s got you in a hurry?”

“Nothing that involves _you.”_ He mumbled over his shoulder before picking up the pace to get away from the little steamer.

Wow. That was..rude. But given that’s how Caboose has acted since he’d arrived, it didn’t phase this determined little steamer.

Skating up beside him once again, Rusty chuckled and grinned, “Hey hey hey what’s the rush? There’s not jobs out today, what are you off to do?”

“I thought I said _that it doesn’t involve you_ so _why do you care so damn much.”_

“Well I was just hoping we could chat some is all.”

That finally made the newcomer put on his brakes. He turned to face him, crossing his arms and giving the other a slanted look.

“You want to chat.” He echoed.

“Yeah! I mean, you’ve been here long enough I feel like we should get to know each other.”

“Oh you do?”

“Yeah!”

“Well I don’t.” Caboose huffed and turned on his heels, once again heading off to wherever he was set on being.

...Hm. 

Now he was beginning to turn Rusty’s cogs the wrong way.

“...I’m sorry just one more t-“

At that Caboose snapped around fast enough for Rusty to get far too close, looking eyes with the other. “ **What**.” 

He came to such a sudden stop it through him off his balance, “I-I’m sorry, but do you have a problem with me?”

“That’s a loaded question.” He replied flatly. “What answer will get you to buzz off and keep out of my business?” 

The steamer blinked, getting more ruffled by this guy’s attitude. “Well _that_ pretty much answered it actually.”

“Great! So that means we’re done here?” Caboose’s tolerance was becoming shorter by the second.

“Um, no?” He let out a little huff in a futile attempt to calm him down, “What could I have done to get you this wired about me?”

That got a derisive laugh and a dismissive wave of his hand. “Oh if only it were _that simple._ ” 

“...what? If only what were that simple?”   
  
Did this guy ever make any sense? Probably not, but he was going to keep talking anyway so hopefully that would explain something.

It wouldn’t, but this naive little engine didn’t know that yet.

“Listen _hot shot,_ ” he began, his voice obviously much more bad-tempered than before, “I’m not here to be your _buddy,_ I’m here to do a _jobs_ You got that? Your last guy may’ve been a real fruitcake with the resta you but _I. ain’t. him_ .” The more he was speaking, the shorter the fuse was getting on both Rusty’s and his tempers. “I’m not going to sit around and chat with you all on my days off. I’m not going to sit and listen to you all sing around and act like _children_ all night.” He began punctuating his sentences by jamming his finger directly into Rusty’s chest. “I’m **not** going to stick around and listen to your bullshit. I’m **_not_ ** going to act like we’re family or whatever. And _I’m not even going to_ **pretend** _that I even_ **want** _to be_ **_anywhere near you._ ** _PERIOD.”_

Rusty recoiled, and with enough annoyance sputtering through his pipes to make steam smoke out of his chimney he suddenly spat out, “What is your _problem_!?”

And that was his third and final mistake.

“What could we have possibly done to make you hate us all so much!? All we’ve done is try to make you feel welcome! And _you_ treat us like we’re nothing but an inconvenience!”

Caboose was quiet while he listened to Rusty’s spiel. Once it was over, in a voice just barely above a breathy whisper he said, 

“ _shut. up.”_

The steamer just blinked, his cogs turning too loudly in his head to let him hear the quiet whispering, “What?”

“I _said_ **_shut_** ** _UP_** ” He suddenly **_screamed_**. Grabbing ahold of Rusty’s shoulders, he slammed him against the wall of one of the nearest shacks hard enough to send a rattle through the entire thing. “ ** _I SAID SHUT UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE YOU STUPID FUCKING ENGINE_** ”

There was no time for Rusty to process what was happening, all he knew was that one moment he was upset with this newcomer and now he suddenly found himself genuinely fearing for his safety the first time in months. In the shock of the change in moods, he didn’t hold up his hands to defend himself, he didn’t push the other away, he didn’t even scream. All he could do was tremble enough to make his boiler shake and keep his wide terrified eyes locked with the other’s. 

“ _I’ll tell_ _you why I treat_ **_you_ ** _like an inconvenience,_ **_ITS BECAUSE YOU ARE._** _”_ As Caboose’s grip tightened on him, his voice grew louder. “ _SCREWING UP MY LIFE, POKING YOUR NOSE INTO MY BUSINESS,_ **_WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!?_ **”

Rusty was barely able to get out words, everything coming out choked and stutters. “I- I-I’m s- I-I don’t-“

As he struggled to make any sense, Caboose began echoing the stutters, mocking his scared expression and even going as far as to muster up tears to match the ones beginning to well up in the Steamer’s eyes. “I-I-I oh **shut up.** For ONCE listen to me and just **_shut the fuck up._** _You shouldn’t even be here still_ and somehow you’re not only still here, but you’re also still here to **_BADGER ME._** ”

At this point, the poor little engine was too frightened and full of unjust guilt for things he didn’t even know he did to even process what he was hearing. All that translated was that _Rusty himself_ had done something _wrong._ Something so _awful_ that he’d made someone he _didn’t even know_ this angry. “ _I'M SORRY!”_ He finally managed to cry out through a sob, “ ** _I’M SORRY, I-IM SORRY!_ **”

“Oh you’re _sorry_ , you’re _sorry_ so that fixes **_everything._** ” Caboose hissed out, almost reveling in watching Rusty’s tears roll down his face. “You’re not _sorry_ you’re _scared like you always are._ Just a scared little engine who poked his nose where it didn’t belong and ruined so many lives that he doesn’t even _know_ he ruined them.”

At this point, Rusty wasn’t even listening anymore. All that he could do was _plead_ and _apologize_ over and over again, insisting he was sorry for something he didn’t even know he did, _begging him_ not to hurt him-

and that’s when Caboose decided that he had done as much damage as he was allowed to do. Once he realized that, he released his hold on Rusty, letting the steamer collapse into a shivering tearful mess on the floor. He didn’t even stay to watch him quiver, just leaving his quickly and slamming the door behind him for one last blow that would frighten Rusty enough to make him flinch once again.

As he laid there, trying to get a grasp on himself and struggling to wrap his mind around what had happened, what had gone wrong? _What had he apologized for?_

But… one thing was standing out the most out of all of this, something that had caused him to panic the most out of all the terrifying things about this situation. 

When he had locked eyes with this “newcomer” there was… something under that fury- no no, that _hatred_ , that pure, unadulterated, passionate **_hatred_** ; there was familiarity. 

But that wasn’t what frightened Rusty the most.

What had frightened him the most was the sinking feeling that this wasn’t the first time he’d stared into those eyes. 

This wasn’t the first time he had feared for his life because of those eyes.


End file.
